Please God at work
Well, which is it? Will you please God or "men" at work today?
Psalm 52 suggests we think about pleasing God more. It seems we've got a tendency to forget Him and focus on ourselves. Yah think?
The thing is, it's a serious matter in God's eyes (which, of course, should make it serious in our eyes). So serious, in fact, that God has "scattered the bones of them that please men; they have been confounded because God hath despised them." (Psalm 52: 6)
Each day begins and the challenge lies before all of us. How do we please God in our work? Then the action starts and so often we simply forget about God. We get wrapped up in the moment.
But I don't think God's too concerned about that. The problem comes when when we work as if pleasing God isn't important - like work is something over here and God's over there. It's the old Sunday Catholic thing. You go to Mass and think you're done with God for the week.
Or you say a Morning offering and think you're done. Or you read scripture, some spiritual readings, attend daily Mass, visit the Blessed Sacrament - and still think you're done.
Here's the thing: you're not done. There is no done. God's everywhere, but most especially He's inside us. He's always here, not just there - somehow separated, off in the distance.. So when we work as if somehow work is different, that there's some "work ethic" that's different from the ethic we follow at every moment of our lives, we're putting God in a bottle, in a sense. And that's not where He belongs. Nor is it, surprise, where He'll stay.
He's inside us, wants to be part of us, desires to show His love for us - but never forces Himself on us. On the other hand, He's not going anywhere just because you don't have time for Him, or want to ignore him.
Remember when you're mother called you and you were in the middle of something - something really important like playing some game. You didn't answer right away. Or maybe your wife's calling to you and your thinking about something else; you kind of hear her, but you don't answer. Your mother and your wife probably didn't just go away. You answered eventually.
So God's not going away either either. He's there, you're ignoring or not answering Him, but He's not going anywhere.
Oh, and there's no conflict between working for God and fulfilling our duties on the job. There's no contradiction between His law and the "laws" of business or making money. None. Any contradiction is in our mind, or worse put there by the devil to draw us away from Him.
So we've just got to drill it into our heads. God is here, He's not going anywhere, so it would be nice - no, it behooves us - to acknowledge Him throughout the day - even if it's only once or twice. This idea that Sunday does the trick, or your Morning Offering does the trick, or anything does the trick has to go.
Work for God, please Him at work. Do it by always working in His presence and acknowledging that Presence at least every once in a while. Don't "finish up" with God for now and move on to something else. It's not happening.
Psalm 52 suggests we think about pleasing God more. It seems we've got a tendency to forget Him and focus on ourselves. Yah think?
The thing is, it's a serious matter in God's eyes (which, of course, should make it serious in our eyes). So serious, in fact, that God has "scattered the bones of them that please men; they have been confounded because God hath despised them." (Psalm 52: 6)
Each day begins and the challenge lies before all of us. How do we please God in our work? Then the action starts and so often we simply forget about God. We get wrapped up in the moment.
But I don't think God's too concerned about that. The problem comes when when we work as if pleasing God isn't important - like work is something over here and God's over there. It's the old Sunday Catholic thing. You go to Mass and think you're done with God for the week.
Or you say a Morning offering and think you're done. Or you read scripture, some spiritual readings, attend daily Mass, visit the Blessed Sacrament - and still think you're done.
Here's the thing: you're not done. There is no done. God's everywhere, but most especially He's inside us. He's always here, not just there - somehow separated, off in the distance.. So when we work as if somehow work is different, that there's some "work ethic" that's different from the ethic we follow at every moment of our lives, we're putting God in a bottle, in a sense. And that's not where He belongs. Nor is it, surprise, where He'll stay.
He's inside us, wants to be part of us, desires to show His love for us - but never forces Himself on us. On the other hand, He's not going anywhere just because you don't have time for Him, or want to ignore him.
Remember when you're mother called you and you were in the middle of something - something really important like playing some game. You didn't answer right away. Or maybe your wife's calling to you and your thinking about something else; you kind of hear her, but you don't answer. Your mother and your wife probably didn't just go away. You answered eventually.
So God's not going away either either. He's there, you're ignoring or not answering Him, but He's not going anywhere.
Oh, and there's no conflict between working for God and fulfilling our duties on the job. There's no contradiction between His law and the "laws" of business or making money. None. Any contradiction is in our mind, or worse put there by the devil to draw us away from Him.
So we've just got to drill it into our heads. God is here, He's not going anywhere, so it would be nice - no, it behooves us - to acknowledge Him throughout the day - even if it's only once or twice. This idea that Sunday does the trick, or your Morning Offering does the trick, or anything does the trick has to go.
Work for God, please Him at work. Do it by always working in His presence and acknowledging that Presence at least every once in a while. Don't "finish up" with God for now and move on to something else. It's not happening.
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